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Representatives from Warner Bros., ESPN and CBS all see a bright future for HDTV. "HD is one of the catalyst technologies that will define the next generation in consumer entertainment," a Warner Bros. executive says.

Matsushita Electric Industrial is evaluating the performance of its plants in Asia, North America and Europe and will close underperforming ones in an effort to boost profit margins. The company intends to keep flat-panel plasma TVs as a major focus of its business and recently teamed with NEC to form a mobile-phone joint venture.

Nintendo President Reginald Fils-Aime believes the interactive component of its Wii console will help it reach beyond hard-core gamers and expand the market. Nintendo supports online gaming, but does not plan to offer subscription-based games because it sees the genre more as a way to drive hardware and software sales.

Although Wal-Mart Stores and The Home Depot reported lackluster quarterly results, the overall retail sector is not in trouble, according to an Accenture executive, who believes this year will nonetheless be divided into winners and losers. Finding the right product mix and good customer service will be key, another retail expert says.

As the proliferation of laptops, mobile phones and electric cars continues, researchers and manufacturers are battling basic laws of chemistry and physics to improve batteries essential to most of today's CE devices. Some are considering microcells and nanotechnology to develop more efficient batteries.